Seaside Jewish Community Religious School

Faculty

   

    Education Director:

            Allison Colker

SHALOM!  My name is Allison Colker and I will be Seaside Jewish Community Religious School’s Education Director.  I will also be the teacher for the Confirmation Class.  I originate from Baltimore and am also affiliated with a congregation in Owings Mills, Maryland.  I began my Jewish studies at the JCC pre-school and Solomon Schechter Day School.  During college, I took Jewish Education courses at the Baltimore Hebrew University.  I have teaching experience in both the Religious School setting and the nursery school setting.  I enjoyed teaching fourth grade Judaic Studies and Hebrew at a synagogue in Reisterstown, Maryland.  I then had the pleasure of teaching fifth grade Jewish Studies and Hebrew, sixth grade Hebrew, and eighth/ninth/tenth grade Haskalah electives at a synagogue in Falls Church, Virginia.  I then enjoyed teaching fifth grade Religious School and Hebrew School, sixth grade Hebrew School, and seventh grade Hebrew School at a synagogue in Gaithersburg, Maryland.    I am both ready and excited to direct Seaside Jewish Community Religious School this year.

    Alef Class: 

            Audrey Adkins -

SHALOM!  My name is Audrey Adkins and I’ll be your child’s Religious School teacher.  I’m originally from Wilmington, Delaware, having moved to Harrington, DE in 1997.  I began my Jewish studies at Congregation Adesh Kodesh in Wilmington, where I attended the Religious School from the first grade through the confirmation class.  I took post-confirmation classes at Gratz through the Wilmington JCC.  I am a small animal veterinarian, practicing in Milford, DE.  This year at Seaside, I will be teaching Religious School for our youngest members in the Alef class.

Our curriculum this year includes an introduction to the Alef-Bet, and introductions to the Bible, G-d, and Shabbat.  My goal is to begin what will become a life-long journey for your child in what it means to be Jewish.  We will also have a music, art, and Israeli dancing teacher every third week.  My Hebrew class will concentrate on letter recognition, letter sounds, and letter printing.

        Bet Class:

            Alyssa Simon -

SHALOM!  My name is Alyssa Simon and I will be your child’s Religious School teacher. I am originally from Wilmington, Delaware.   I began my Jewish studies at Temple Beth Emeth and Religious School in Wilmington where I completed post-confirmation studies.  I helped teach Kindergarten at Temple Beth Emeth while attending high school.   During college, I was extremely involved in MAFTY  (Mid Atlantic Federation of Temple Youth)  and attended Shabbat Services every Saturday morning while participating in the temple youth choir. I also had the priviledge to travel to Israel during high school.  While in college, I was member of Hilel.  This year at Seaside, I will be teaching Religious School for the students enrolled in Bet Class. I am currently a Special Education teacher at Sussex Technical High School. I just completed my tenth year of teaching at Tech.  I love teaching and can’t wait for the Fall.

            Our curriculum for this year includes various components.  In religious school, we will have three main content areas:  Discover the Holidays, Discover the Synagogue.. I hope to instill in your child a love of Jewish culture and embrace his or her Jewish identity.  Our Hebrew lessons will focus on a brief introduction to the Hebrew Alphabet.

        Gimmel Class:

            Debra Seibert -

My name is Debra Seibert and I am happy to step in for the rest of the year as your child’s religious school teacher.  For those of you who don’t know me, I have been living in Milford for the past 14 years.  I have a BA from the University of Maryland, European Division and a Masters in Public Administration from Wilmington College.  Prior to moving to Delaware, I lived in Germany for eight years.  While at Ramstein Air Force Base, I taught the combined Bet and Gimmel class for two years under the direction of the Jewish Chaplain, Rabbi (Lt. Colonel) Zyskind.  I have served as a substitute teacher and room parent at SJC Religious School since its inception.  I am currently homeschooling my 10-year-old son, Samuel and working as a tutor with Club Z In-Home Tutoring Services in Rehoboth Beach.

Growing up in Ohio,  I attended Cleveland Hebrew Schools after school and on Sundays from K-8.  The following year my parents joined Temple Emanu El and I was confirmed there.  As an adult, I became active with Chabad of Akron, various eclectic military congregations where ever I lived, and Beth Shalom in Dover.

        Dalet Class

            Pam Kaplan -

My name is Pam Kaplan and I will be teaching the Dalet class this year at the Seaside Jewish Community Religious School. My husband David and I live in Lewes with our two children, Morgan (13) and Jacob (9). Prior to this year we were residents of Lewes and Wyoming, DE, however, we have chosen to move to Lewes permanently this summer. We have been members at Seaside for about five years. Our daughter Morgan celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in October of 2006 thanks to the assistance of Allison and Ryan Colker. Her Jewish education provided by the Religious School at Seaside prepared her well for that joyous occasion. She will continue her Jewish studies in the Confirmation class monthly. My son Jacob is in the Gimel class this year. I am a member of the Education Committee and have substituted at the Religious School on quite a few occasions for and feel confident that the students and I can learn a lot from one another.